Hat base



Oct. 4, 1966 H. LISH HAT BASE Filed Dec. 27, 1965 FIGJ FIG.4

FIG. 3

FIG.6

INVENTOR. Henry Lish hm.

AT T ORNEY United States Patent York Filed Dec. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 516,550 4 Claims. (Cl. 2-183) The present invention relates to a hat base and more particularly to a hat base of laminated construction, as well as the hat made therefrom.

One of the attributes to be desired in a hat base, or body, is a sufficient rigidity to maintain the shape of the hat. The rigidity must not be so great, however, as to prevent styling with soft effects. The hat base should also be porous enough to permit ventilation through to the head. Lacking porosity, a hat would retain an uncomfortable degree of heat and humidity on the head. Another feature of an ideal hat base would be its adaptability to a wide range of hat styles so that as hat styles change from season to season the same base material can be utilized. Such flexibility, of course, obviates the necessity of stocking large numbers of differing materials.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a hat base which will meet the foregoing requirements.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hat base which will fit a wide range of head sizes.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a hat base which will be simple to work with so that operators of minimum skill are all that would be necessary.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of one ing to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 and showing the laminated structure of the hat base;

FIG. 3 is a front view of another style of a hat base according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a third style of hat base obtainable with the construction of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a completed hat after the application of fur tails to the hat base of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a front view of a portion of the inside of the hat of FIG. 5.

The hat base is made of a laminated material with an inner core 10 of plastic foam. An inner layer 12 and an outer layer 14 of fabric are laminated on either side of the core 10 through the use of heat, an adhesive, or otherwise. The foam plastic selected is preferably of the type with minute holes 16 which provide a passage from one face of the foam .to the other in order to produce a maximum of porosity for ventilation. Polyurethane foams of these characteristics are widely available.

The fabrics chosen for the inner layer 12 and the outer layer 14 can be of many types and need not be the same in any one base. For example, a simple lining material can be used for the inner layer 12 and a decorative material can be used as the finishing fabric for the outer layer 14. Plain or printed fabrics of linen, silk, cotton or the synthetics may be used. It has been found, however, that knitted jersey fabric or tricot knitted fabric make the best material for the inner and the outer layers. Knitted jersey and tricot knitted fabrics have the advantage of being porous for ventilation and of being stretchable enough to be adapted for various hat styles. Stretchability of the base has the added advantage of permitting the same hat to be worn by a wide range of head sizes.

style of a hat base accord- 3,276,039 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 A single piece of the laminated material may be used as a hat base, if desired. A greater versatility will be obtained, however, if the laminated material is cut into sections which are attached together as by sewing. One possible style is shown in FIG. 1 which utilizes arcuate wedges to produce a dome-type hat. A pillbox style is produced by sewing rectangular sections to a round crown, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

One important aspect of the present invention is the use to which the hat base may be put in the manufacture of fur and fur-like hats. When the hat base sections are secured together, they may be sewn with a fur-stitching machine which will produce an external or internal ridge at the seam. The ridges contribute a certain amount of rigidity to the base similar to a beam construction in a building. The ridge may also be used as a guide when applying the fur to the hat base when the ridges are external. This is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In FIG. 4 it is seen that S-shaped sections 18 have been sewn together with a fur-stitching machine which produces external ridges 20 at their seams. If this hat base is reversed, the ridges will be internal. The sections 18 taper to the apex 22 of the hat base. Fur pieces are laid against the external ridges 20 and are attached to the outside of the hat base, preferably by adhesive. Fur tails 24 are particularly suitable to cover hats since they have a natural tapering toward their tips and consequently fit well without cutting. After fur tails 24 are secured against the external ridges 20 additional fur tails are fitted in between and attached in the same manner while following the same contours as originally established by the ridges 20. If the hat base is reversed, the seams may be used as guides so that the fur tails can follow the contours of the seams. With this method inexperienced workers can be easily trained to make intricate effects simply and quickly. Many types of fur are suitable such as mink, fox, squirrel, racoon, and beaver.

To finish the open edge 26 of the bat an elastic band 28 is attached all around and the edge 26 is turned to the inside 30 of the hat where the elastic band can unobtrusively act to make the hat secure on the head. The elastic band 28 will not detract from the ability of the hat base to fit a wide range of head sizes but will make the same ha-t feel secure on each one. In a sample made using this construction a single hat could fit a size 21 to a 24 /2 head.

It may be seen, then, that the present invention provides a hat base of a novel laminated construction which is light on the head, rigid enough to maintain a hat shape yet soft enough to be adaptable to curved effects. The hat base is porous for wearing comfort. In addition, the hat base finds particular usefulness as a base for fur hats wherein base sections can be sewn together with external or internal ridges which define the hats shape and the location to which the fur tails can be applied. The hat base is easily made and inexperienced workers can effectively produce a great variety of hats from it.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A hat comprising a hat base formed of laminated material sections, said sections being sewn together in edgewise abutment forming raised external ridges along the lines of abutment, and a plurality of outer decorative cover pieces applied to and secured to said hat base be tween said ridges, said ridges defining spaces therebetween for the reception of said cover pieces and serving to guide the placement thereof.

2. A hat as defined in claim 1, wherein said laminated References Cited by the Examiner material comprises a plastic foam inner core having mi- UNITED STATES PATENTS n-ute holes therein for ventilation and inner and outer 776,261 11/1904 Rogers 2-498 knitted fabric layers secured on either face of said core. 5 fiZg gzg ;"-"f 3. A hat as defined in claim 1, wherein said decorative 2:726:398 12/1955 Cooper cover pieces comprise strips of fur. 2 457 1 50 Evans 2 2 X 4. A hat as defined in claim 1, wherein said hat base 3,134,983 6/1964 Lipk-in 2172 has an open edge and an elastic band attached to said m FOREIGN PATENTS open edge, said edge being turned to the inside of the hat 7 59,803 11/1933 Emma base whereby the band can unobtrusively serve to make 786,949 11/1957 Great Britain. the hat secure on the head, said band serving to accoi JORDAN FRANKLIN Primary Examiner modate a range of wearer Sizes G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HAT COMPRISING A HAT BASE FORMED OF LAMINATED MATERIAL SECTIONS, SAID SECTIONS BEING SEWN TOGETHER IN EDGEWISE ABUTMENT FORMING RAISED EXTERNAL RIDGES ALONG THE LINES OF ABUTMENT, AND A PLURALITY OF OUTER DECORATIVE COVER PIECES APPLIED TO AND SECURED TO SAID HAT BASE BETWEEN SAID RIDGES, SAID RIDGES DEFINING SPACES THEREBETWEEN FOR THE RECEPTION OF SAID COVER PIECES AND SERVING TO GUIDE THE PLACEMENT THEREOF. 